Pocket hole jigs?
- Thread starter Jimmy69
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I’m under the impression for particle board the duo doweller would be better and probably MDF, since the material is uniform. The mafell DD is an interesting tool so is the lamello. Both need high degrees of accuracy, if your adding fasteners to the center in a carcass. The FT df500 gives wiggle room and is good for alignment. I’ve used none of the above so this is more research oriented. Woodcraft sells the jessem doweling jig to drill 1/4”, 3/8” or 1/2” dowel holes. I looked into that since it probably the most accurate out of the Kreg/clone jigs?Jimmy69 said:
I already have the Jessem jig in metric. It's a well made bit of kit but the problem I had with it, apart from slowness, was that you set the center of where your dowel is going to be in 2mm increments. There's an 8mm and a 10mm but not a 9mm. So it's very difficult to find the center of 18mm ply which is the most common in the UK. The increments are notched so you have to make it sit between settings which is not ideal. Had I known this before I bought it I would of ordered 20mm ply. I wouldn't want to use it for a complete kitchen refit - way too slow.mkasdin said:
The DDF40 does require accuracy but with the Maximax kit a guide fence thingy is provided so you can reference from your first(front) dowels. So your center and back dowels all line up and the front of the cabinet is flush. Any inaccuracies in your panel cuts are at the back of the cabinet. There's also the guide template as an optional extra and is essential for 32mm hole drilling.
If you are building with plywood you can just glue and staple the boxes together, its been done that way since the dawn of pneumatic staplers. Then throw in a few screws to pull everything tight and add some extra strength. Then just use finish end panels to hide the fasteners on the ends. If its melamine staples/glue wont work so good but you can use confirmat screws. They actually work really good in melamine. Pocket holes will help build drawers quickly and cheaply with no visible fasteners. Its really hard to pick just one, domino or the Mafell. They both have their pluses and minuses. The domino is perfect for doing drawers and its the only reason I still keep mine. I have posted before about my domino drawers so wont go into it here. The Mafell really excels at cabinet joinery and low cost consumables, KD hardware and its a nice option to have the ability for both large and small dowels in one machine. People always bring up the precision requirement with the mafell but I happen to like that and dont see it as a negative. As far are drilling shelf pin holes with it... I prefer the LR32 system for that since it gives you the ability to drill both the 5mm pin holes and 35mm cups hinges easily with speed and precision. I have never tested the cumulative error with the ddf40 doing shelf pins but it is a concern I would have. Sure they sell the aluminum jig but at that point you might as well start looking at the LR32. The lr32 can be a little clunky and slow out of the box mostly do to those front mounted setback bars but that can be mostly eliminated (also described in other posts) The cost of a full LR32 kit if you dont already own a Festool router is another matter. However you can save a ton of money if you already own a plunge router and adapt the LR32 to it. Which is what I did and never had an issue. If you already have a 1400 rail you can try and sell it to further offset the cost of purchasing the holy rail if needed. Pocket holes can be difficult to keep aligned during assembly and can be slow if your doing a lot of them. As I said earlier. Staple the boxes and pocket hole the drawers. That will give you the best results for the least amount of money. You can also put a small rabbit on the drawer sides to help keep the joint from moving when pocket screwing. The LR32 will be the biggest and best investment when starting out.
I have the Porter-Cable pocket hole jig. It was roughly the same price and the top of the line Kreg unit but unlike the Kreg unit it was made from aluminum alloy castings and is nicely machined and has holders for bits, drivers, etc.
It has similar adjustments to the Kreg, but it is much heavier and more stable, an advantage when drilling larger items.
Here is a review: https://www.protoolreviews.com/tool...60-quik-jig-pocket-hole-joinery-system/10667/
It has similar adjustments to the Kreg, but it is much heavier and more stable, an advantage when drilling larger items.
Here is a review: https://www.protoolreviews.com/tool...60-quik-jig-pocket-hole-joinery-system/10667/
acer66
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I had the first plastic one which I think is the k2 but got a k5(?) now.
Like the k5 over the older one but it feels a bit flimsier but having the handle in the front is a game changer for me.
Building my second 3/4 ply kitchen cabinets and drawers right now with pocket screws
and could not be happier using pockets screws.
The only glue I used is in the edge band.
Like the k5 over the older one but it feels a bit flimsier but having the handle in the front is a game changer for me.
Building my second 3/4 ply kitchen cabinets and drawers right now with pocket screws
and could not be happier using pockets screws.
The only glue I used is in the edge band.
Birdhunter
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- Jun 16, 2012
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I’ve read all these posts again and my impression is that the Festool Domino is still the optimal tool for cabinets. And, yes, I own the K5 pocket hole jig, the DuoDoweler, and a couple of biscuit cutters. The Domino is worlds faster than any of my other tools for this type of joinery and produces consistently superior results.
Not sure I agree with the domino being worlds faster or more accurate than the Mafell. They are essentially the same tool just slightly different. I prefer the Mafell overall for most tasks but still use the domino. Different strokes I guess. I like the duel depth setting and the much cheaper consumables of the mafell. I know some like the domino as you can dial in some slop for adjustment but I dont so it offers no benefit to me. I also have a kreg foreman which makes pocket holes much more tolerable to do in large quantities but I tend to use the pocket holes more for construction type projects now but will say its worlds better than the other kreg jigs plus the built in DC makes it worth it but still say for plywood glue and staples is the fastest, cheapest way and you pretty much have to be an animal to have any construction related issues.
I used a combination of pocket screws and dominos on a set of cabinets I made. The dominos provide alignment and the pocket screws provide clamping.
This gets around one issue with pocket screws, that is, unless the material is clamped tightly, the pocket screws can cause the material to shift. I think this can be a useful approach if the size and complexity of the cabinet warrant it (and if the pocket screws will be hidden).
Bob
This gets around one issue with pocket screws, that is, unless the material is clamped tightly, the pocket screws can cause the material to shift. I think this can be a useful approach if the size and complexity of the cabinet warrant it (and if the pocket screws will be hidden).
Bob
pettyconstruction
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If it were me,I would look at the Kreg Foreman.
The amount of holes for a entire kitchen,would make it worth it.
In the US , the foreman is about $300 more than a K-4/ K-5 but for the work ,it may pencil out.
As was said , put 2 holes and use a clamp in one while putting a screw in the other.
I think the glue and screw method will be fine.
If you want more, maybe a biscuit jointer also , under $200 here.
Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Btw I have a biscuit jointer and domino and alternate between then to achieve the best results. But unless you want/ need those,I think just the screws and glue would suffice.
Cheers , Charlie
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
The amount of holes for a entire kitchen,would make it worth it.
In the US , the foreman is about $300 more than a K-4/ K-5 but for the work ,it may pencil out.
As was said , put 2 holes and use a clamp in one while putting a screw in the other.
I think the glue and screw method will be fine.
If you want more, maybe a biscuit jointer also , under $200 here.
Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Btw I have a biscuit jointer and domino and alternate between then to achieve the best results. But unless you want/ need those,I think just the screws and glue would suffice.
Cheers , Charlie
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
I would note that the large base pocket hole devices are great for light and medium-sized items, but for larger pieces a clamp on jig is superior.
I would also note that while quick, the pocket hole screws do not offer much in the racking strength department. Dowels and tenons are superior in that area.
I would also note that while quick, the pocket hole screws do not offer much in the racking strength department. Dowels and tenons are superior in that area.
I think the type of cabinets also needs to be taken into account. In the UK (where I think the OP is from) and Europe too, kitchen cabinets themselves are typically just a basic carcass that is hidden behind decorative panels and overlay doors, so minor misalignment isn't so much of an issue (indeed, even the better quality carcasses are just fitted together with Ikea-style cam-dowel fixings and aren't the most beautiful joints in the world). The only part of the cabinet that is visible is the interior and possibly the front edge, if an edging strip isn't used.
If they're trying to make something a bit more fancy, and a bit more 'on display' than those, then pocket holes might not be the way to go. If they're just wanting to knock up some standard carcasses, then making your own doesn't make much financial sense, given the low price of decent quality units.
If they're trying to make something a bit more fancy, and a bit more 'on display' than those, then pocket holes might not be the way to go. If they're just wanting to knock up some standard carcasses, then making your own doesn't make much financial sense, given the low price of decent quality units.
